I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

With a piercing scream, Sanako's vision suddenly slid downwards!

Imagine the terrifying force of a warhorse suddenly coming to a stop while charging at full speed.

Due to inertia, Sanako's body leaned forward, and she was about to be thrown out.

Fortunately, at this critical moment, Sanako nimbly pulled her feet out of the stirrups and landed steadily on the saddle—activating her innate "Cat Turn"—using this momentum, she then leaped up like a spring, jumping in a direction contrary to inertia.

Qing Deng discovered that Sanako had fallen from her horse immediately.

What a pity... Radish is very fast; in the blink of an eye, Sanako was thrown far away...

Koto Nakazawa, who was standing to the side, was the same.

As Sanako's number one fan, she was naturally anxious to see her idol fall from grace and wished she could rush to her rescue immediately.

But a warhorse galloping at full speed cannot be stopped at will.

So, like Qing Deng, she could only watch helplessly as Sanako drifted further and further away from them...

Before falling to the ground, Sanako adjusted her body posture in time, using her superb recovery skills to minimize the damage she suffered.

Even so, it still hurts a lot.

The moment he landed, intense pain shot through his entire body.

She gritted her teeth and pursed her red lips, forcing back the cry of pain that welled up in her throat.

Because she carries multiple identities such as "a descendant of the Chiba family" and "the wife of Niou," Sanako often feels a great responsibility, and thus has long developed the habit of "never showing weakness in front of others."

Her vision was blurry and her back was aching... Sanako wished she could just stretch out her limbs, lie flat on the ground, and rest for a while, at least until the pain in her back lessened a bit before getting up.

However, her heart was already sounding a fierce alarm... She had to use her naginata to support herself on the ground and forcefully stand up.

If she doesn't quickly prepare for battle, she's doomed... What follows is a brutal fight to the death!

"Hey! This person is Chiba Sanako, the captain of the 7th Division of the Shinsengumi!"

"Idiot, she changed her name to 'Tachibana Sanako' a long time ago!"

"Great! She fell off her horse!"

"Quick! Kill her! She's Ju Qingdeng's woman! Her head must be worth a fortune!"

The southern soldiers around Sanako were suddenly energized, all eagerly casting greedy, wolf-like glances at her.

Under normal circumstances, Sanako's beauty would have bewitched these people, making them reluctant to kill her and only wanting to capture her alive.

But the current battle is so fierce that both sides are blinded by rage and neither has the time to think about those trivial matters in their crotches.

"kill!"

It's unclear who started it, but more than thirty southern soldiers swarmed forward! The "encirclement" surrounding Sanako instantly shrank!

Seeing the enemies rushing in from all directions, Sanako remained calm and skillfully assumed a fighting stance, firmly planted her feet, lowered her center of gravity, and gripped her naginata tightly with both hands.

The willow-leaf-shaped naginata blade flashed with a blinding, cold light.

Although she had fallen quite hard, her limbs were unharmed, and the naginata in her hand remained firmly in her grasp.

That's enough!

In an instant, her smooth, high ponytail drew a clean arc in mid-air—and drawing an arc in mid-air at the same time was her slender naginata!

She first swept forward, slicing open the chests of the three people in front of her.

Then, using her right foot as a pivot, she spun around like a top, turning backwards along with her sword, using the momentum of the spin to cut down the four people behind her.

Since meeting Aoto, Sanako has frequently been embroiled in various disputes and has nearly lost her life several times.

Thanks to this, she is one of the most combat-experienced members of the Shinsengumi!

Every time he wields his naginata, several enemies inevitably fall.

The slender naginata moved with remarkable agility in her hand, stabbing, sweeping, blocking, and deflecting as if it were an extension of her arm.

The Southern soldiers, who had mistakenly believed that she would be unable to fight after falling from her horse, all changed their expressions.

He wanted to turn and run away, but it was too late.

Sanako's slash had already struck them first.

In just a few seconds, the Southern soldiers, who had been charging around like wolves, were almost all killed or wounded.

However... although she successfully averted the current crisis, Sanako's expression turned grim.

“哈……哈……哈……哈……哈……哈……”

She had to put the naginata back on the ground, bend down, and lean most of her weight on the sword.

Perhaps it aggravated her wound, because she now feels a sharp pain in her back, so painful that she gasps for breath.

This scene was clearly reflected in the eyes of the Southern soldiers not far away.

"Look! She's injured! I knew it, falling from such a fast horse! There's no way she could be unharmed!"

"Strike while the iron is hot and kill her!"

Sanako endured the pain, raised her eyes, and looked around... even more southern soldiers were rushing in than before.

In my current state, can I withstand this invasion?

Thinking about the answer to this question, her heart sank.

Just as she was preparing to fight to the death, she suddenly heard the familiar sound of hooves...

Without any hesitation—she reflexively turned 180 degrees! And opened her arms wide as if embracing the sky!

The next instant, a strong arm stretched out horizontally and grabbed at her.

A moment later, the arm steadily embraced her, lifted her into the air, and then carried her onto the broad back of the ox.

Qing Deng held Sanako tightly with his right hand and wielded the large spear with his left.

With a series of sweeping slashes, he killed all the southern soldiers who were blocking his way and had intended to ambush Sanako, carving a bloody path through them in an instant.

Qingdeng lightly tapped the radish's belly with his right heel.

The radish understood perfectly and turned back along the way it came.

Only Aoto came to rescue Sanako.

Firstly, there's no need to bring too many people.

Secondly, the offensive against the enemy cannot be stopped.

Therefore, Aoto ordered Nakazawa Koto to lead the central army to continue advancing towards the main camp of the "Western Route Army," while he himself rushed back to rescue Sanako.

At this moment, Qing Deng and Sanako embraced each other tightly, their chests touching.

Like a koala, Sanako wrapped her left arm around Aoto's right armpit and hugged his back, while her right hand, still holding the naginata, held Aoto's nape with her elbow, her delicate chin resting on Aoto's left shoulder.

Even through the hard breastplate and the two thick mounds of fat, Qing Deng could feel Sanako's heart pounding wildly because she had survived the ordeal.

Qing Deng lowered his head and cast a helpless glance at Sanako in his arms.

"Really... don't scare me. When I saw you fall off your horse just now, my blood ran cold."

Sanako looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry, I made you laugh at me."

Qingdeng gave him a look that said, "No need to apologize."

Do you still have the strength to fight?

"If you're sitting on the back of a radish, there's no problem."

"Alright. Then let's ride together!"

Sanako nodded solemnly, then adjusted her body orientation to face the direction of the charge, with her back to Aoto.

Aoto is much taller than Sanako, so if she sits behind him, her view will be blocked. Therefore, it is most appropriate for her to sit in front of him.

Looking at the back of Sanako's head, Aoto seemed to recall some amusing anecdote, and couldn't help but smile.

"'Black Bull Princess' has reappeared in the world after a long time."

"Don't call me by that nickname."

Sanako glared fiercely at Aoto.

Then, she looked away and gently patted the radish's big head with her left hand.

"Sorry, Radish, you'll have to work hard from now on."

Not only did they have to continue charging forward, but they also had an extra "passenger" on their backs... This was undoubtedly a huge burden for Luo Bo.

However, instead of becoming discouraged, it showed even more vitality!

Compared to Aoto, Radish prefers the gentle and much lighter Sanako... This fact saddens Aoto considerably.

With both the male owner and his favorite female owner on his back, Radish was overjoyed by the double happiness!

“哞哞哞哞哞！”

It let out a low growl and ran even faster and more joyfully.

On the way back to the front line, Sanako turned her head to look at Aoto behind her with a worried expression.

"Qingdeng, the enemy has launched a counterattack. Shouldn't we try to deal with it?"

Qingdeng chuckled a few times.

"I don't need to do anything special."

"I just need to keep pushing forward."

"As for the counterattack from the other side... Sanako, have you forgotten? He's here."

"Even without my specific instructions, he will rely on his intuition to make the right choice."

……

……

"Kill them!"

"They are already on their own and cannot hold on for much longer!"